Blackburn: Net Neutrality Is 'Fairness Doctrine for the Internet'

Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) spoke against net neutrality regulations today at an event put on by the Safe Internet Alliance. Representing the songwriters, singers, actors, producers and other entertainers in Memphis and Nashville, she said the creative community does not want the federal government to interfere with how they are able to get content to consumers via the Internet.
 
"Net neutrality, as I see it, is the fairness doctrine for the Internet," she said. The creators "fully understand what the fairness doctrine would be when it applies to TV or radio. What they do not want is the federal government policing how they deploy their content over the Internet and they want the ISPs to manage their networks and deploy the content however they have agreed on with ISP. They do not want a czar of the Internet to determine when they can deploy their creativity over the Internet. "They do not want a czar to determine what speeds will be available....We are watching the FCC very closely as it relates to that issue."

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85 Comments

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Craig

Net Neutrality will SAVE your internet. Its not some weird government take over of the internet. ITS THE EXACT OPPOSITE YOU DOLTS. It will keep anyone from deciding who gets the most bandwidth. Every one every website etc gets no special treatment. With out it say goodbye to your internet, you will only be allowed to access what your "cable" provider wants you to. If you have Time Warner or Comcast you will only be get throttled for accessing sites they dont make money on. If net neutrality doesn't get passed that is your future a over priced slowed down internet.

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 08:21 AM Report 

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therepublicrevealed

Just try and tell me what to say on my web site you communist B&^%$%&%^$%$^&*^%$%^*^^%$%^&%$%
http://www.therepublicrevealed.com/

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 07:15 AM Report 

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American_victors

@Commonsense4u2
Have you ever heard of incrementalism--touted by progressives and implied in the Humanist Manifesto?
Just get your foot in the door and then........................................

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 06:56 AM Report 

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American_victors

This nitwit has no clue about the purpose and character of the internet.
I'll wager she's one of the morons who were always upset because they kept score in games on her school's playground and peeved for being pick last.
I mean Duuuuuuh, with her personality and logic, who wouldn’t pick her last?
--
If she really believes in "fairness" she needs to take on the main stream media (TASS) and it's love affair with Obummer.

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 06:51 AM Report 

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MARINE VET 64-67

Its starting to smell a lot like China in the White House ! ! ! !

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 02:22 AM Report 

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TurkSST

How?

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 02:29 AM Report 

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Sbauman487

It's called throwing out accusations without any understanding of the actual issue. "Marine vet" has nailed how to do it, apparently.

Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 03:07 AM Report 

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TurkSST

The net has been neutral since it's inception. The FCC's decision was spurred by fears that the infrastructure is being monopolised. My Industrial Economics professor at MIT explained it best. Data on the net travels across the networks of many different companies. Each allows the other to let the data pass at a common price, and data is not discriminated against. A large enough company can change the economics of the network by degrading the speed at which a rival's data travels across its network, which in turn reduces the market value of the smaller rival (they can't compete). The big network can then buy the competitor out at a bargain price and continue pursuing a monopoly. When strong enough, the network provider will use its muscle to extract rents downstream, Google, Microsoft, Ebay, and countless others large and small. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 made this possible.

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 01:32 AM Report 

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TurkSST

Fox's moderators have been blocking my comment about network neutrality. It's a comment based on my experience in the industry and education at a leading technology school. It contains a different perspective on the issue than is commonly expressed. I've attempted to post it about 20 times, but only my test posts appeared. Either this site is broken or the comment is being censored.

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 01:24 AM Report 

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TurkSST

My guess now is that posts of a certain length are blocked, but I do wish there was a warning before submission.

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 01:33 AM Report 

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TurkSST

Hmm, I've attempted to make a certain comment for the last 30 minutes and it hasn't shown up. But the test posts did. Hmmm...

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 01:16 AM Report 

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TurkSST

Test. Nothing has been showing up in over 30 minutes.

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 01:11 AM Report 

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ALTACE

Obama, GET OUT OF MY LIFE AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE. i AM SO SICK OF THIS GUY. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:05 AM Report 

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TurkSST

Test

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 01:12 AM Report 

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ThomasJeffersonForPresident

Why?
What did he do?
Did he illegally spy on your telephone?
Did he illegally wage war based on lies and then draft you?

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:25 AM Report 

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MARINE VET 64-67

NO He is turning our country in to somthing "We The People" have been fighting agenst sence 1775 ! ! ! !

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 02:28 AM Report 

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ALTACE

Obama, GET OUT OF MY LIFE AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE. i AM SO SICK OF THIS GUY. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:05 AM Report 

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ALTACE

Obama, GET OUT OF MY LIFE AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE. i AM SO SICK OF THIS GUY. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:05 AM Report 

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Essex Class

Are we tired of Obama yet? Keep this fool in the White House long enough and he'll try to govern every move you make. Get up off your apathic butts and vote out the rats in Congress in 2010.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 11:57 PM Report 

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TRANSPARENCY?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZuk5z7uKOk

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 09:15 PM Report 

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speakeasy

It has been happening already.
.
Google anything and the left blogs and information comes up first.
.
Google is in bed with the W.H. as they were among the first sumond to it.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 07:46 PM Report 

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Lemure

And that is just the beginning................... This administration is everything about control and nothing about freedom to be great, and free.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 06:39 PM Report 

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cajunmobster

Thank You.......I don't want obomanet either................................

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 06:18 PM Report 

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funsailing

I Honor you Senator.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:09 PM Report 

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Polemic

This is one of my favorite pics that explains why we need net neutrality. This is what an internet would look like without net neutrality regulations:
http://skeptisys.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/5z6vt4n3.jpg

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 03:50 PM Report 

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Jim Leonard in California, Maryland

Bull...t; everything the government touches turns to poop. This is just another attempt by libs to levy thought control on the masses. Before you know it, we'll need internet taxes to pay for the regulation - thanks but no thanks. Leave the net alone, it doesn't need government oversight.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:06 PM Report 

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Kenilworthkid

The problem with "net neutrality" is that when google is flooding all the ISPs with their u-tube videos and and making access to the ISPs portal sites slow then ad revenue goes down for the ISP to the point where they can no longer make the investments needed to keep traffic flowing. When the net as we know it collapses the gummint will take over it like GM, free broadband to every house, obammy's already said that. When that happens moveon.org will be everyone's home page, and you will never see foxnews.com again. Google gave barrels of money to the obammy campaign, now we know the rest of the story.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 08:32 PM Report 

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some Internet guy

Few of you seem to understand what the hell net neutrality means and are just so afraid of the government doing anything that you're letting your knee-jerk reactions get the best of you.
You do all realise that your ISPs are, right now, lobbying Congress for the ability to dictate and control how you access the Internet, right? The graphic that Polemic posted isn't exactly an inaccurate representation. What if your ISP started enforcing tiered pricing for different levels of site access? What if your ISP wanted to charge you extra money per month just to access foxnews.com because the owner is a liberal? The cannibalistic greed doesn't end there. Your harmless, unregulated free market bandwidth providers also want to charge companies like Google a premium for bandwidth since they are a popular site and get so much more traffic. Or even worse, what if it were legal for Microsoft to pay your ISP to make Internet traffic to their Bing search engine super fast while artificially slowing down traffic to Yahoo and Google?
This is the kind of reality that ISPs want to make happen right now. You all cry so much about having your freedoms taken away by big, bad muslim gub'mint man that you can't see through the tears enough to realise that your freedom to communicate online is already in danger. Net Neutrality demands the Internet remain an open medium for global communication in order to preserve our freedom of speech in this Country, not take it away.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 08:00 PM Report 

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Polemic

I don't understand this idea that government is the root of all evil, but business is somehow intrinsically good and altruistic, and if we just left business alone we'd all be living in some sort of nirvana.
Yes, I agree that government makes a mess of a lot of things, and they don't have much incentive to not be wasteful. Yes, I agree that in general free markets are the best system we have to generate innovation. However, your internet access is not a free market. Not even close. You have maybe 2 options (AT&T and your local cable company), at best maybe 3. That's not much choice. When you're restricted like that the companies will abuse you because you don't have any other options. Business doesn't care about you. It cares about your money, and when you can't take your money anywhere else they can do what they want.
As crazy as it sounds, regulation is sometimes the right answer. It's not about more or less government. It's about the right amount of government to serve the people. WE THE PEOPLE! It's in the Constitution. You should check it out sometime. For cereal.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:49 PM Report 

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Polemic

I don't understand this idea that government is the root of all evil, but business is somehow intrinsically good and altruistic, and if we just left business alone we'd all be living in some sort of nirvana.
Yes, I agree that government makes a mess of a lot of things, and they don't have much incentive to not be wasteful. Yes, I agree that in general free markets are the best system we have to generate innovation. However, your internet access is not a free market. Not even close. You have maybe 2 options (AT&T and your local cable company), at best maybe 3. That's not much choice. When you're restricted like that the companies will abuse you because you don't have any other options. Business doesn't care about you. It cares about your money, and when you can't take your money anywhere else they can do what they want.
As crazy as it sounds, regulation is sometimes the right answer. It's not about more or less government. It's about the right amount of government to serve the people. WE THE PEOPLE! It's in the Constitution. You should check it out sometime. For cereal.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:49 PM Report 

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Polemic

I don't understand this idea that government is the root of all evil, but business is somehow intrinsically good and altruistic, and if we just left business alone we'd all be living in some sort of nirvana.
Yes, I agree that government makes a mess of a lot of things, and they don't have much incentive to not be wasteful. Yes, I agree that in general free markets are the best system we have to generate innovation. However, your internet access is not a free market. Not even close. You have maybe 2 options (AT&T and your local cable company), at best maybe 3. That's not much choice. When you're restricted like that the companies will abuse you because you don't have any other options. Business doesn't care about you. It cares about your money, and when you can't take your money anywhere else they can do what they want.
As crazy as it sounds, regulation is sometimes the right answer. It's not about more or less government. It's about the right amount of government to serve the people. WE THE PEOPLE! It's in the Constitution. You should check it out sometime. For cereal.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:49 PM Report 

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Polemic

I don't understand this idea that government is the root of all evil, but business is somehow intrinsically good and altruistic, and if we just left business alone we'd all be living in some sort of nirvana.
Yes, I agree that government makes a mess of a lot of things, and they don't have much incentive to not be wasteful. Yes, I agree that in general free markets are the best system we have to generate innovation. However, your internet access is not a free market. Not even close. You have maybe 2 options (AT&T and your local cable company), at best maybe 3. That's not much choice. When you're restricted like that the companies will abuse you because you don't have any other options. Business doesn't care about you. It cares about your money, and when you can't take your money anywhere else they can do what they want.
As crazy as it sounds, regulation is sometimes the right answer. It's not about more or less government. It's about the right amount of government to serve the people. WE THE PEOPLE! It's in the Constitution. You should check it out sometime. For cereal.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:48 PM Report 

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Skeptic

If what you say is true, then police and military are 'poop'. Really?

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:22 PM Report 

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chrisd

"is just another attempt by libs to levy thought control on the masses." It's hard to imagine anything more wrong than this. Do you at all understand what network neutraility actually is? It bears NO resemblance to the Fairness Doctrine whatsoever. You want the net left alone? That's what this does. It enusres that your ISP will leave the net alone and not decide what you can and can't see.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:20 PM Report 

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Polemic

Wow. I usually think that everyone has their opinions about things, and while certain news organizations might over-express their side of the argument. But, this is just a blatant lie, and you all are falling for it. Just wow. Net neutrality isn't about controlling content. IT'S THE EXACT OPPOSITE! How can you not understand that? Neutral is in the name!
Maybe I can express it in terms you might understand. Imagine this scenario in which we don't have any net neutrality regulations: You want to get your news from Fox News, but your cable company has been paid by MSNBC to give them preferential treatment on their networks. Now, when you go to Fox News' website it takes 30 seconds to load the page, but if you go to MSNBC it loads instantly. Where are people going to go for their news? MSNBC of course. And just imagine, they'll be converting people to socialism by the bucket load.
Now you're cable company might offer to speed up Fox News' website for you, but it'll only cost you an extra $5 a month. That's a world without net neutrality.
I want my internet freedoms back!

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 03:45 PM Report 

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some Internet guy

lol! whoops, I think I just rehashed what you already said here. Sorry about that. I hadn't read this far down the page before I saw so much stupidity that i couldn't help but respond to it. Nice to know there are other people like you out there that truly understand the real reason why this is such an important issue.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 08:04 PM Report 

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chrisd

Careful, they are going to call you either an idiot or a moron for actually knowing what net neutrality is. Since the Obama administrations is doing it, it must be a communist plot. Never mind that they have its purpose exactly backwards. They're not big on facts.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 04:55 PM Report 

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d

You truly have no clue do you? There is NOTHING "neutral" about this bill.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 04:46 PM Report 

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Skeptic

@d
Have you read the bill? I think Polemic is probably right, but if would post a link to the bill, I could help you figure it out.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:27 PM Report 

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Polemic

I have many clues. I have been following the net neutrality debate for years. I would politely suggest you trying not to act so ignorant.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 04:52 PM Report 

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shawn boles

If the Government passes a bill on net neutrality regulations. Citizens will not be able to publish their content anymore. As if Foxnation doesn't have a strangle hold on that already. "I've been blocked".

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 03:33 PM Report 

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Jenney

Oh, I guess that's because you are acommunist right, or maybe you are not White and Fox moderators are racists.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 03:37 PM Report 

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Craig

Wow none of you understand what net neutrality is. Its to stop companies deciding that your data is less important then someone else s and either slowing down your connection or charging you more. Net Neutrality is a 100% pro user pro internet legislation that NO ONE should be opposed to. You let companies decide how much bandwidth they think you deserve and you will see the internet innovation we have seen in the last 10 years grind to a halt.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 03:18 PM Report 

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C.Rangel the THEIF

Fairnes is your congress offical listening to your thoughts on HEALTHCARE.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 02:48 PM Report 

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red dot in a blue state

Come On 2010!
We will Toss all these bums out

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 02:32 PM Report 

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Jenney

Liberal zombies just don't get it. Anything the man says, they obey. Look at the zombies from MSNBC, they went to the WH indoctrination class, they've lost their identity and are sell outs. How much were they paid? They are cheap, they got to kiss his rear end, and got a pen.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 02:30 PM Report 

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some Internet guy

@Jenney
Yes, this IS an important issue. That's exactly WHY the government is getting its fingers into it. In this case, they NEED to. I realise that any government under democratic rule is to be associated with the antichrist and all that, but if you'll step away from the politics of the thing for a minute and realise what is going on in the world around you. Research what rights your ISP is lobbying Congress for these days. See what conclusions you come up with. Don't let fox news or anybody else tell you what to think about this issue. Do your own homework on Net Neutrality and see what answers you find.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 08:26 PM Report 

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Craig

what are you talking about? Net Neutrality has been a issue since before Obama was even in office. I guess if someone with a R next to there name says something you just believe it without question. Obama has nothing to do with net neutrality

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 03:24 PM Report 

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Skeptic

@ Jenney
Do you understand what Craig is saying? This is about the rights' of companies to CENSOR your content. When you talk here about "ACORN, Liberal congress, liberal dems, Axelrod, Comm. Czar" you just sound like a wingnut.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 05:31 PM Report 

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chrisd

Jenney, you should really learn what network neutraility actually is before you speak. It's just making you look foolish.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 04:56 PM Report 

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